Madison River

Madison River
Nickname(s)	"Old Man River," "Father of Waters"
Location
Country	Ibica
State	East Monroe, Petra
Cities	Carsonville, Minersville, Madison, Charlotte, Essex, Houston, Trenton
Physical characteristics
Source	Lake Denton (traditional)
- location	Denton Lake State Park, Denton County, Petra-
Mouth	Gulf of Monroe
- location	Carsonville, Carson County, East Monroe
- elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Length	2,320 mi (3,730 km)
Basin size	1,151,000 sq mi (2,980,000 km2)
Discharge
- location	mouth; max and min at Madison
- average	593,000 cu ft/s (16,800 m3/s)
- minimum	159,000 cu ft/s (4,500 m3/s)
- maximum	3,065,000 cu ft/s (86,800 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
- left	Albany River, Live Oak River
- right	Georgia River

The Madison River is the longest river and chief river of the largest drainage system on the Ibican continent. From its traditional source of Lake Denton in western Petra, it flows northwest across the state, and then generally south for 2,320 miles (3,730 km) to the Madison River Delta on the Gulf of Monroe. With its many tributaries, the Madison's watershed drains all or parts of 7 states between the Madison Mountains and Georgia Range. The river passes through the states of Albion, East Monroe, and Petra.

Formed from thick layers of the river's silt deposits, the Madison embayment is one of the most fertile regions of Ibica; steamboats were widely used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to ship agricultural and industrial goods. Because of substantial growth of cities and the larger ships and barges that replaced steamboats, the first decades of the 20th century saw the construction of massive engineering works such as levees, locks and dams, often built in combination.

Depth

At its source at Lake Denton, the Madison River is about 3 feet deep. The average depth of the Madison River between Trenton and Essex is between 9 and 12 feet (2.7–3.7 m) deep. Between Essex, and where the Albany River meets north of Charlotte, the depth averages 30 feet (9 m). Below Charlotte, the depth averages 50–100 feet (15–30 m) deep. The deepest part of the river is in Carsonville, where it reaches 200 feet (61 m) deep.

Recreation

Great River Road in Petra near Lake Tyler

The sport of water skiing was invented on the river in a wide region near Houston, Petra known as Lake Tyler.

There are several National Park Service sites along the Madison River. The Madison National River and Recreation Area is the National Park Service site dedicated to protecting the River itself.